12 Days of Christmas

Christmas ends this Saturday. All too often it seems to be over on the afternoon of December 25th. But that’s really just the beginning. On the church calendar, the Christmas season runs from December 25th to January 6. The twelve days of Christmas end on Epiphany, the day we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the Son of God.

So, while the stores display the Valentine’s cards and candy on December 26th and we strip the tree of ornaments on January 1st, the church is celebrating Christmas. Celebrating the birth of the Savior. On January 6, we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the world. But what do we do after that? How does the knowledge that God dwells among us actually change the world?

 “Now the Work of Christmas Begins”
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.
-Howard Thurman

Merry Christmas!
See you Sunday!
Missy